A solid education that builds skills and knowledge can have an incredible impact on a person’s life — it can be used to enter a fulfilling career they’re passionate about, to boost their salary, or to even do both. Too often, though, certain barriers keep intelligent, driven people from accessing this type of education. So how can schools open the door to more prospective students? One way is to offer a more diverse range of program structures like the ones below.
Part-time courses
While a career training program can be a great way to enter a new field (or advancing in your current one), full-time programs also mean people might need to leave their current job in order to enroll. And though that may be possible for some, for others it can be impossible. By offering part-time options, those who need to keep working to maintain their income or who may have other commitments during regular class hours can still have the opportunity to take your courses.
Remote learning
Because in-person programs necessarily mean having to be in a certain place at a certain time, online education allows more people the chance to access your courses. No matter if someone is located across the country, or if their current work or family obligations mean that they can’t make the commute to the classroom, the barriers are removed by remote, online options. And these past few years have seen schools be incredibly innovative in providing education to those who couldn’t be there in-person — even hands-on fields like HVAC and welding adjusted to online learning!
Flexible class schedules
Finally, even if a course is online, it may still have to take place during a particular time. And that time might be during someone’s work hours or other responsibilities. Not everyone has the same schedule, and emergencies can come up that a person wouldn’t be able to anticipate. One of the benefits of a flexible, self-paced program is that learners know they’ll have the amount of time they need to build their knowledge and grow their skills, regardless of what the schedule looks like.